Many known exercise devices allow a person to work against the resistance of his own weight. For example, the exercise device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,404 comprises a carriage mounted on wheels to a pair of parallel track members. At one end, a pair of support posts maintain the track members at a desired inclination. The user may then sit on the carriage, lock his feet in a pair of foot rests, and propel himself and the carriage along the inclined track members by means of his leg muscles.
While exercise devices which allow a person to work against the resistance of his own weight may be both reliable and effective, they frequently have several undesirable characteristics. For example, the carriage is typically positioned at the same inclination as the track members. Consequently, when the track members are positioned at an inclination steep enough to provide an effective workout, the user may experience considerable difficultly and discomfort in sitting on the steeply inclined carriage. This problem is particularly burdensome for someone with reduced physical capacity who is using the device for rehabilitation.
Further, the variety of exercises offered by many of these devices is frequently limited. Users may move back and forth along the track members by means of their legs or, perhaps, their arms, but few other exercises are available.